Road-engine



(No Model.) -3- Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. '0. FRICK.

ROAD ENGINE.

No. 243,881. Patented July 5, 1881.

N. FUSES Phowumn m hzr, Washinglon. n. (L

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

A. O. FRIUK. ROADBNGINEL No. 243,881. Patented'July 5.1881.

a; M z/ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' A. 0. ERICK.

ROAD ENGINE.

No. 243,881. Patented July 5,1881.

N, PETERS. Pllolo-Lxlhogrnphrr. Wnshivlglhlk D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM O. FRIGK, OF \VAYNESBOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROAD-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,881, dated July 5,1881.

Application filed January 25, 1881. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM O. FRIcK, of Waynesboro'ugh, in the countyof Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedRoad-Engine; and I do hereby declare that the followiu g is at'ull,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to theaccoin pan yin gdrawiu gs, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a rearend elevation, with theside plates, D, and sills A in vertical section. Fig. 3 are details ofthe counter-shaft bearings and transverse brace for the side plates.Fig. 4 is a top view ot'the front support for the boiler. Fig. 5 is afront view of the same, with the sills A and the yoke-plate M insection. Fig. 6 is an end view of the same, with the axle in section;and Fig.

- 7 is a cross-section through line x 00 of Fig. l.

My invention relates to certain improvements in road-engines, designedto improve the construction and operation of thesedevices.

The principal features of improvement consist in the structure of theframe-work and means for hanging the boiler therein to compensate forexpansion; in the means for connecting the engine and the frame so as toavoid working-strain on the boiler-sheets; in the construction andarrangement of the front truck, and in the means for guiding the engine,all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, A A represent a pair of iron sills, made in the form ofchannel-bars, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, (they may also be made ofangle-iron or other shapes,) and extending the full length of the enginefrom the front truck to a point some distance in rear of the boiler.These two sills constitute the main frame of the engine, and at thepoint where they extend beyond the rear of the engine they form asupport for the platform for the use of the engineer and fireman, and asupport alsofor the water-tank B, which is suspended from the under sideof the same. These sills A A, while constituting the main frame, are inno wise bolted or rigidly attached to the boiler, except at one point,a, where they are connected by angle-irons or brackets on each side.There being but this one connected with the sills, it is obvious thatthe expansion and conrelieves the sheets of the boiler from all straincaused by carrying it in brackets or plates, which are usually bolted tothe sheets.

D D are metal side plates bolted or riveted to the iron sills on eachside of the boiler, and extending vertically therefrom. Each of theseplates has a slot or notch at its lower side,

which slips over the axle E to brace it and hold it in position, and hasat the top two levels, the lower one of which carries the bearings F forthe counter-shaft, and the upper one of which levels is bolted to theend of the engine-frame G which carries the crank-shaft.

This end of the engine-frame is formed like a saddle, which straddlesthe rear end of the boiler, but does not come in contact with it. Thelower section of the two bearings F for the counter-shaft are formed inone piece, being connected by a flanged and trough-shaped bar, F, whichserves as a brace to connect the two side plates firmly together, as inFigs. 2 and 3. These side plates carry the weight of the rear end ofengine-frame, crank-shaft, fly-wheel, and pillow-block, and carry allthe workingstrain of engine and all the traction-gearing, thus entirelyrelieving the boiler of the same.

The engine-frame G, it will be seen, rests at its back end upon the topof the side plates, as before described, while at its forward orcylinder end it rests upon the boiler. it is not rigidly attached to theboiler at this point, however, but has an expansion-joint to preventstrain occurring between the said frame and boiler, due to the heatingand cooling of the latter. This joint is shown in Fig. 7, in which I) isa casting riveted or bolted to the boiler, and c shouldered bolts whichpass through longitudinal slots in the flange of the engine-frame, sothat after the bolts are tightly screwed down on their shoulders theengineflanges to co-operate with the shoulder-bolts in preventing sidemovement.

For steering the engine, the front axle, H, is arranged to turn about avertical center, and a chain is attached to one side of the axle, andthence extends rearwardly to a roller or drum, I, around which it iswrapped several times, and is then returned to the axle on the otherside of its pivot, so that by revolving the drum one way or the otherthe chain is wound up on one side and unwound on the other to change theposition of the front axle from a right-angular position to an obliqueone, to cause the turning of the engine. This drum I extendstransversely across the machine beneath the boiler, and it is carried byhangers J, bolted to the main sills A. For rotating this drum aworm-wheel, d, is arranged at one end and a worm, 0, made to geartherewith, which worm is carried by a shaft, K, extending to the rear,and carrying,in convenientposition for the engineer, a hand-wheel. Thissteering mechanism, as so far described, I do not claim as new. Withsuch a chain-gear, however, I find that when the front truck-axle isarranged obliquely the chain does not equally wind up on one side andunwind upon the other, and there is always some playin theaxle-connections; and, furthermore, in running the wheels againstobstacles it sometimes happens that one front wheel will strike anobstruction and throw the axle around, leaving it in the position whichcauses the engine to run out of its course, and involving, also, adamaging strain upon the connection. For avoiding all these objections Iplace in the length of the chain, on each side and preferably near theaxle, an elastic spring f, of either a spiral piece of metal or a blockof rubber. This may be in the nature of an elastic link in the chain, asshown, or it may be a spring attached directly to the axle on each sideof its central pivot. This, it will be seen, allows the chain to giveand compensate for the unequal winding or play in the axle and steering-connections, andif one or both wheels strike an obstruction thesprings relieve the gears and steering-chains of strain, and also immediately restore the axle to its proper position.

For connecting the boiler to the front axle a box-plate, L, has a curvedupper surface adapted to fit the bottom of the boiler, and is slottedlengthwise the boiler, as in Fig. 4, and is connected to the boiler byshoulder-bolts m, which, when screwed to the boiler tight, allow thelatter to move lengthwise of the plate to compensate for expansion. Thisbox-plate L is bolted or riveted between the forward ends of the sidesills, A A, and is connected with a yoke-plate, M, by a vertical bolt,n,about which the circular upper end of the yoke M turns, after the mannerof a fifth-wheel. 'This yokeplate receives a cap-plate, N, which passesthrough it and is fulcrumed to it by a bolt, 0. This cap-plate has twochambers, one upon each side of its fulcrum, in which are containedsprings 19 p, that bear upon the axle of the front wheels. This axle Hpasses through the capplate N, and is provided with two clips, q g,which are rigidly connected with the axle, and serve to hold thecap-plate in proper position upon the axle.

P is a brace, which extends from the bottom of the yoke-plate M to thesills A A, for the purpose of resisting the strain involved in runnin gagainst obstructions.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The sidesills, AA, made longer than the boiler, and combined with the same bystrap or straps O and a single rigid connection, a, and extending inrear of the boiler, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the axle E and the engine-frame Gr, connectingand supporting both the main shaft and cylinder, of the side plates, D,arranged to support the rear end of the engine-frame and carry theweight and strain of the working parts of the engine andtraction-gearing and relieve the boiler, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the boiler and the axle E, of the side plates,D, and the engineframe G, resting at one end upon the side plates, andat the other connected to and restinguponthe boiler through anexpansion-joint, as described.

4. The combination, with the boiler, of the sills A, connected to andsustaining the rear end of the'same by a strap or straps, O, andconnected to the boiler at their front ends by an expansion-joint, asdescribed.

5. The combination, in a road-engine with a pivoted front axle and thechain-gear, of a spring-connection for said chain, as and for thepurpose described.

6. The combination of the axle H, springseated cap N, the yoke-plate M,and the boxplate L, the box-plate and yoke-plate being connected by avertical pivot-bolt, and the yokeplate and cap-plate being connected bya horizontal fulcrum-bolt, substantiallyas described.

ABRAHAM O. FRICK.

Witnesses:

J AS. A. ROBINSON, THos. RoBrNsoN.

IIO

